hair showed on his chest. His nipples were two flat disks, darker in color. Muscles were clearly defined along the tops of his shoulders, down his hulking arms, and all along his abdomen. He had a broad upper body but his waist thinned to narrow hips, then flared out again under the short towel, displaying muscular thighs. A little bit of hair adorned his legs but not much.
He had the best body she’d ever seen, by a long shot. Sure, her crew had taken off their shirts sometimes to work when the cooling system had failed. They were all hairy, older, and she hadn’t paid much attention. She couldn’t exactly say that about Stag.
He might be a jerk, but he was a really hot one. He’d been designed to be attractive to the eye in every way, and the company who’d made him had been right on target. Handsome, perfect physique to attract a buyer’s eye, and sleek enough that anyone with a heartbeat would want to touch him.
She lifted her gaze to his chest again. Some light scars marred his smooth skin. They looked like tiny white lines on his soft gray skin tone, some of them jagged. It took effort for her to blink and force her head to turn away. “I think you forgot to put something on,” she managed to say.
“These are my quarters. I wear a uniform while I’m on shift. I enjoy relaxing when I’m alone.”
“Well, I’m here, and I’d appreciate it if you could at least wear pants.”
“Your desires aren’t my concern.”
That word hit a nerve with her. It had been six years, nine months, and thankfully she’d forgotten how many days since she’d left Earth. Add in a few more weeks before that and it was the last time she’d had a boyfriend. Most women her age had a lover, or even a few, but she’d had a crew of men her father had chosen because they were as crabby as him.
Every man she’d met at pickup and delivery sites had been chased off if they even looked at her twice. That had been the down side of working with her dad and his friends. They had been overprotective. No guy had a chance of getting near her without a laser gun pointed at him.
They’d visited stations to take breaks but her crew never allowed her go anywhere alone. She’d put her foot down on her twenty-fourth birthday and confronted her dad. It had been over four years at that point since she’d had sex. They’d both been embarrassed by the conversation, but she’d won. He’d agreed to let her to visit an automated brothel. He’d agreed sex bots were safer than letting her into a bar to pick up a real guy. It had been her bad luck that they didn’t host any male bots. She’d returned to the Pride frustrated.
Six years since I’ve had sex. That’s why I’m noticing he’s hot. She sighed.
“Are you contemplating how to kill me?”
Nala refused to tell Stag where her thoughts had gone, instead glaring up at him. “How did you guess?”
“Your tone implies disdain.”
“Give me a break. What am I going to do? Stab you with my fork? You’d just pull it out and be pissed some more. I could hit you with the tray but whatever part of you I nail would just dent the thin metal sheet. I’m not stupid. I’d break bones if I punched you. No thanks.”
“Are you done eating? I’m ready to go to bed.”
Her heart rate increased as she gave him a once-over again, her gaze lingering on his abs and that towel. After her twenty-fourth birthday, she’d secretly stashed an image advertisement for a sex bot model in her quarters. It had been blond, brown-eyed, and a bit smaller bodied than the cyborg in front of her.
She stood up. Stag might not have the greatest personality but she could get over that if he planned to touch her. It had been a really long time since anyone had. He claimed to be sentient. It implied he might have all the right body parts. He motioned his head toward the bed.
“You get the inside.”
“We’re sharing?”
“Yes. I won’t let you sleep on the floor. It’s too hard and cold. That would
The Last Greatest Magician in the World